Public Law 101-246 calls for analysis and discussion of “votes on issues which directly affected United States interests and on which the United States lobbied extensively.” An important basis for identifying issues is their consistency with the State Department’s Strategic Goals. For the 66th UN General Assembly (UNGA) in 2011, 10 votes and nine consensus resolutions were identified for inclusion in this section.

Section IV contains four parts: (1) a listing and description of the 10 important UNGA votes; (2) a listing and description of the nine important UNGA consensus resolutions; (3) voting coincidence percentages with the United States on these important actions that were adopted by votes, arranged alphabetically by country (with each country’s overall coincidence rate from Section III listed alongside the rate for important votes).; and (4) voting coincidence percentages by UN regional groups and other important groups for nine of the 10 important votes.

IMPORTANT VOTES

The following 10 important votes are identified by title, resolution number, date of vote, and results (Yes-No-Abstain), with the U.S. vote noted. For each vote, a short description of the issue and U.S. policy considerations is provided. Where available, hyperlinks to additional explanatory material, as well as official U.S. statements, are provided. The resolutions are listed chronologically. Full texts of all resolutions can or will be found on the United Nations website, at: http://www.un.org/documents/resga.htm . In the left-hand column, all resolutions are listed numerically. Where underscored, resolution numbers are linked to their texts. (Some resolutions were not yet linked by the submission date of this report.)

1. U.S. Embargo of Cuba

A/Res/66/6 October 25 186-2(US)-3

The United States imposed a trade and financial transaction embargo on Cuba in 1960, because of Fidel Castro’s repressive policies and expropriation of U.S. property without compensation. The United States strengthened the embargo in 1962, 1992, and 1996. UNGA has adopted a resolution condemning this embargo every year since 1992.

This resolution deplored a plot to assassinate Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States, and called on Iran to cooperate in bringing the culprits to justice. The Saudi-drafted text expressed “deep concern” at the plot, and encouraged member states to prevent the planning, financing, sponsorship, or organization of terrorist acts. Iran introduced four amendments, three of which would have removed all mention of that country from the text. All were rejected.

While the United States has made progress in many areas toward the goal of a world without nuclear weapons, it will require strengthening the global nonproliferation regime and addressing urgent nonproliferation challenges, including enhanced IAEA safeguards, cooperation to defeat proliferation networks, and improved security for vulnerable nuclear material. Progress on disarmament and nonproliferation is not an either-or proposition, but rather represents two aspects of the same goal. Only North Korea opposed this resolution.

6. Work of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories

A/Res/66/76 December 9 86-9(US)-75

The General Assembly established the Special Committee by Resolution 2443 (XXIII) in 1968. The United States believes that this committee embodies institutional discrimination against Israel, that it should be abolished, and actively lobbies other countries to withdraw their support for the annual resolution that renews the Committee’s mandate.

In joining the Human Rights Council, the United States expressed its willingness to support what the Council does well, but also pledged to challenge those aspects of the Council’s operation that undermine its effectiveness and mandate. The Report is a reflection of the Human Rights Council’s strengths and weaknesses. The United States abstained.

8. Situation of Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (D.P.R.K.)

A/Res/66/174 December 19 123(US)-16-51

The human rights situation remains grave in North Korea. The government controls almost all aspects of citizens' lives and refuses to allow international evaluation of human rights conditions.

The United States strongly supported this resolution as demonstrating the international community’s concern over the human rights situation in the D.P.R.K., the desire to hold the government accountable for its human rights violations, and to improve the situation of human rights there.

The international community remains deeply concerned over the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran, and the government’s failure to uphold its obligations under its own constitution and international human rights law. The world continues to bear witness to those in Iran who are trying to exercise their universal rights. This resolution signals that their voices are being heard.

This resolution strongly condemned “continued grave and systematic” human rights violations in Syria, and called for an immediate end to all violence there. It called for Syrian authorities immediately to end to all such violations, to protect their population, and to comply fully with their obligations under international human rights law.

The General Assembly approved the following resolutions by consensus. They have been chosen as representative of major U.S. policy goals. Though the first resolution was passed before UNGA 66, it is included because of its importance.

1. Suspension of the rights of membership of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya in the Human Rights Council

A/RES/65/265 March 1

This resolution was the first ever where a standing member of the Human Rights Council was suspended for gross violations of human rights. The General Assembly suspended Libya’s vote and participation in the Council by consensus following the Qadaffi regime’s attacks against its own population that began in February. Following the seating of the new Libyan government, UNGA voted in November to restore Libya to the Council, 123(US)-4-6.

2. Report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

A/Res/66/7 November 2

The resolution declared the IAEA’s role indispensable for encouragement and help in development of peaceful uses for atomic energy, for technology transfer to developing nations, and for nuclear safety, verification, and security.

The resolution strongly condemned all forms of terrorism — including “the atrocious and deliberate attacks that have occurred against UN offices in various parts of the world.” It called for implementing both the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and subsequent resolutions concerning the Strategy. It also urged efficient implementation of appropriate legal instruments and intensifying exchanges of terrorism-related information.

The resolution called for elimination of laws, regulations, and practices that discriminatorily prevent or restrict women’s participation in the political process. It also advocated enhancing women's political participation, accelerating the achievement of equality between sexes and, in all situations, promoting and protecting women's human rights.

5. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

A/Res/66/131 December 19

The resolution welcomed the report of the Secretary-General on the status of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, as well as the most recent reports of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.

6. Follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and full implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcome of the 23rd Special Session of the General Assembly

A/Res/66/132 December 19

The resolution reaffirmed commitment to full, effective, and accelerated implementation of the Declaration and its Platform for Action. It called upon the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) to continue to support gender mainstreaming across the UN system. It urged governments to increase funding to UN-Women by providing core, multi-year, predictable, stable, and sustainable voluntary contributions.

7. Torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment

A/Res/66/150 December 19

The resolution called for implementing fully the absolute and irreducible prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. It condemned any action or attempt to legalize, authorize, or acquiesce in such treatment or punishment under any circumstances, including on national security grounds or through judicial decisions.

8. Elimination of all forms of intolerance and of discrimination based on religion or belief

A/Res/66/168 December 19

The resolution urged intensified efforts to promote and protect the right of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief, and to eliminate all forms of hatred, intolerance, and discrimination because of religion or belief. It strongly condemned discrimination, hostility or violence by any means whatever, by advocating religious hatred.

9. Implementation of Agenda 21, the Program for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21 and the outcomes of the World Summit on Sustainable Development

A/Res/66/197 December 22

The resolution set the UN Conference on Sustainable Development for June 20-22, 2012, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It encouraged governments to involve and coordinate inputs from all appropriate national agencies. It expressed deep concern that funds were lacking for full participation either of representatives from developing countries or those from major groups. It urged timely provision of contributions, and requested the Secretary-General to use the limited funds efficiently, effectively, and transparently.

The General Assembly approved a 2012-2013 program budget of $5.152 billion. This reflected a 4.9-percent decrease from the final 2010-2011 budget, and included reductions in cross-cutting areas such as conference services, publications, and other non-staff operational costs. It also reflected U.S. efforts in reforming the recosting process, whereby adjustments can be made to account for variances in factors including exchange rates and inflation, by deferring these costs until later in the biennium.

The table that follows summarizes UN member state performance at the 66th General Assembly in comparison with the United States on nine of the 10 important votes. Resolution 136, on which the United States abstained, is omitted. This table shows what each member did for each of the nine votes. For comparison, each country’s overall coincidence rate with the United States is listed alongside the rate for the important votes.

The table is alphabetical by country. Each vote is listed by the number assigned to it below.

Key:
S = Same as U.S. Vote; O = Opposite of U.S. Vote; A = Abstained; X = Absent

1. Res. 6: U.S. Embargo of Cuba
2. Res. 12: Terrorist Attacks on Internationally Protected Persons
3. Res. 14: Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People
4. Res. 15: Division for Palestinian Rights of the Secretariat
5. Res. 45: United actions toward total elimination of nuclear weapons
6. Res. 76: Work of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories
7. Res. 174: Situation of Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (D.P.R.K.)
8. Res. 175: Situation of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran
9. Res. 176: Situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic

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